* Editor's Note: With Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario, the Twins really didn't have room for Fowler - especially on a multi-year deal in a corner outfield spot, which is where he'd have to play because Buxton is said to already have a golder glove than Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter. Also, the only team that seemed to seriously approach Fowler was the Orioles; teams didn't think Fowler - especially at the multi-year contract he was demanding at age 30, having just had a terrific second half of a season but a terrible first - was worth the compensatory draft pick they would have had to give up.

* From Wikipedia:

"Szczur played wide receiver, running back, wildcat QB and was a return specialist on special teams for the Villanova Wildcats football team. He gained 270 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns in a winning effort in the 2009 Division I FCS National Championship Game helping Villanova capture their first NCAA Football Championship. He was named MVP of that Championship Game. Also was a consensus All-American and 2009 CAA Offensive Player of the Year."

Oh, and:

"Matt also played centerfield for the Villanova Baseball Program."

* Batting the pitcher 8th:

"Maddon got 'some really good feedback' from the team's nerds," Chicago Cubs Onlinereported during spring training, "and he will likely start Addison Russell out hitting towards the bottom of the lineup in the seventh or eighth spot.

"He's probably towards the bottom of course. I'm probably leaning at this point towards having the pitcher hit ninth.I thought last year, Addison a big part of his development would be that he would be protected and that's where I wanted him nine and afforded the pitcher to the eighth slot," Maddon said. "I think he made a lot of progress from last year to this year. I think he's better able to stand on his own feet right now. So, more than likely a seven or an eight spot would be the slots I'm looking at right now."

ReportsInside The 'Zona: "[T]he distinctions are very, very small - frequently found to be a matter of a few runs per year."

* Why The Average Fan My Never Hear About The Next Wave Of Baseball Stats. (Editor's Note: While this article says the gap between public data and propietary data remains small, a former public sabermetrician who went on to work for a major league team has written that the proprietary data is humbling and caused him to regret the certainty of his previous analyses; I can't find it right now, though.)

Those ensnared in the current criminal case - which alleges that they paid for their children to get spots on the sports teams of big-name schools - couldn't have succeeded if the college admissions process wasn't already biased toward wealthier families.